Navigating Adulthood One Day At A Time

Disconnecting to Reconnect (Part 2)

We are hyper-connected…all the time. I’ve mentioned this topic several times on the blog but I’m going to mention it again (Disconnecting to Reconnect part 1 can be found here.) The amount of time I spend mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram is out of control. If I have to wait anywhere for more than 5 minutes I will mindlessly scroll through one of those three things to keep me entertained. We all do it to some extent.

Just now, as I write this post I’ve clicked on my Facebook tab on my laptop several times, you know because if I do not check it things will…probably stay the same as they were 5 minutes ago. It’s a problem. I’ve been reading about this topic for awhile because it fascinates me. I’ve also changed habits temporarily to change my technology use/dependence. The thing that inspired me to write this post today was a combination of a few things.

1.) I realize what a time suck my phone is…it’s disgusting.

2.) I’m way more productive when I don’t have my phone on or near me.

3.) I sleep better when I read or color before bed than when I mindlessly scroll.

4.) I’ve been reading “Modern Romance,” by Aziz Ansari and some of the research around how we socialize and technology is quite alarming.

There was one thing that Aziz brings up in his book that I found myself laughing at and simultaneously feeling saddened by. We are programmed to receive information so instantaneously that we cannot handle it when someone doesn’t text us back immediately. The stories we create in our minds surrounding why someone isn’t speaking to us when we want to are crazy! I’m guilty of this, we all are. Our hyper-connectedness if make us all bat-shit crazy.

This made me want to experiment with something though. On March 1st, I will be disabling my Facebook account for the month. I will delete the Instagram app on my phone and possibly Pinterest (I do legitimately use it for work and food ideas.) My phone will be the way people can communicate with me if they choose to during the month of March. However, during the day when I’m at work or when I’m out with friends I will be shutting my phone completely off unless there is some reason to keep it on (emergencies, work related situations).